


Saving Justiciar Arkved

by TheMulletWhisperer



Series: Regulations be Damned [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Ambush, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Stormcloaks, Thalmor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 03:42:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6888544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMulletWhisperer/pseuds/TheMulletWhisperer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Galina's love is put in danger by the very people that protect her, to what lengths will she go to protect the mer she loves?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saving Justiciar Arkved

War was hell, as many soldiers said. Soldiers on both sides, soldiers fighting for the Empire, and for the Stormcloaks. No matter who you talk to, they’d tell you the same thing. War is hell. Unless they were crazy.

In the midst of war, people lost lovers, lost friends, lost family. But Galina...she’d be damned if she was going to lose anyone. 

The Stormcloaks didn’t let her in on anything personally, since she’d taken up residence in Dawnstar, but she’d overheard orders to a courier from Frorkmar Banner-Torn while she was idly standing around in the Jarl’s Longhouse. In the shadows. Behind a bench. Dressed in black. He was sending out orders to a nearby outpost, there was a Thalmor prison escort on its way to Northwatch. Not that she cared for the lives of the Thalmor...well, most of them, anyway.

Ever since she’d escaped from Thalmor custody, there was a niggling paranoia in the back of her mind that grew ever larger by the day, every time that she heard a Stormcloak brag about killing an Elf, and since she had no way of communicating with Arkved...things weren’t going well

for her mental health.

But this was a lucky break for her. If she was right--and she almost always was--then the Commander of Northwatch would send a detachment of Justiciars to guide the prisoners to where they needed to be. More likely than not, within that detachment was Arkved, trying desperately to prove himself to his superiors. What the Stormcloaks were sending, though...that would utterly obliterate the caravan.

With this fear in mind, Galina pulled her fresh blades from their mountings on the wall and started her trek to Cold Rock Pass.

 

=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=

 

All around Galina, the winds of the blizzard whipped, sending her coattails billowing behind her. Since she’d left her old gear behind in Northwatch, she needed a change in style. Desperately. The skirtless dress look just wasn’t working for her. 

Even though the gear she wore now was rather tattered, it still  _ looked  _ badass. And that’s what counted. The armor was a thick, black leather to protect her from the frigid northern lands, a cowl to mask her face, for the most part, and fur around her collar. The tunic was laced in the front and belted at the waist, cutting it off from the coattails that reached her calves. Her boots, a tanned, dark-brown leather rather than black, were wrapped tightly with clean linen strips. In her gloved hands, she held a barbed straightsword, adorned with several back-facing barbs for shredding, and in the other, a simple, bland shortsword with a wicked edge. 

From her position, the Nord watched the caravan approach, making sure they were still safe. Even though she could see absolutely nothing, she still remained confident that Arkved was among the Justiciars. Regardless, she intended to stop the caravan  _ and _ the Stormcloaks. 

It was as soon as she’d resolved so, she heard a loud battlecry from somewhere down below, and then the subsequent clashing of steel. That was her cue. 

Jumping down from the frankly absurd height, Galina hit the dense snow and rolled, negating most of the impact but still leaving her legs sore. The adrenaline allowed her to ignore such, though, and she surveyed the situation. 

At least ten Stormcloaks, and what she estimated to be six Justiciars and an Inquisitor. This was going to be  _ fun _ .

With little hesitation, she jumped into the fight, taking the Stormcloaks by total surprise. Her barbed blade found its rest in a spearman’s sternum, shredding his insides as she pulled it out, he fell to the ground, quickly bleeding out. 

The next seemed all too ready for her, blocking the straightsword and parrying her shortsword, making a valiant and all too close attempt to run her through with his blade. It was only by sheer luck that she managed to get out of the way. That, however, was a mistake, it seemed, as another behind her rushed with a war axe. Thinking on her feet, Galina rolled out of the way of both of the blades, watching as the soldiers realized their blunder and put each-other out of commission. Seven more. 

Though all seven were locked in combat with the Thalmor, two of the three support archers pulled back to engage Galina, though their delayed realization gave her a chance to catch a glimpse of the Thalmor defenders. Sure enough, hanging back by the prison cart, hiding behind a shield, was Arkved, no doubt “defending” the prisoners. Nonetheless, she was forced to pay attention in front of her as the archers began firing.

Thanks in part to her paying attention, combined with killer reflexes, she managed to dodge the arrows and close the distance simultaneously, though one cut it dangerously close and lodged in her fur collar. Their reload time gave her the window she needed, sweeping her shortsword and severing the tendon in the back of the left archer’s leg and jumping to her feet to fluidly remove the head of the other.

Even though she was ready for more Stormcloaks, it seemed the Thalmor had dispatched them for the most part, holding only the leader alive. They’d lost two Justiciars in the combat, but hardly anything else. 

Luck once again coming to her aid, the Inquisitor seemed to think they were allies. For whatever reason. He approached her quietly, staring down for more than a few moments. “You assisted us. Now, move along before we add you to the cart, human.”

Galina stared up at him for a short time before speaking, “Fuck yourself.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she swung her straightsword, the barbs catching in his gut and leaving a long and deep gash. With a cry, he fell face-first into the snow, reddening it. 

The Justiciars, with their legendary training, all rushed her at once, making them prime, uncoordinated targets. She ran, presumably to face them head-on, however, she leapt from her back foot at the last moment, twirling in the air and bringing her swords down into either side of the rear soldier’s back, dragging them down and sending him with them.

Both of the remaining fighters seemed somewhat bewildered, but located her quickly, approaching with a bit more caution. She waited, carefully, for them to attack, and when they did, it proved a fatal mistake. In a single, fluid motion, she swung her blades up, removing their sword arms at the elbow, before stepping in and plunging the weapons into their guts, leaving one remaining. One that she had no intention to kill.

Arkved was still hanging back, watching in sheer terror as she approached. “No! St--stay back, in the name...name of the Dominion and uh...everyone else! Keep back!”

Galina merely chuckled and sheathed her blades in her belt, throwing her hood back and smiling across at him. The Altmer’s face simultaneously softened and calmed. “Galina!” His shout came, far happier than before, as he ran up to her. Knowing there was no malice, she simply stood there as he plowed into her and swept her up with a surprising strength, bringing both of her feet out of the snow and hugging her tightly to him. In mere moments, they were locked in a kiss that lasted several minutes, the both of them almost completely ignoring their need for oxygen.

Alas, they had to break eventually, and he set her down so that her face was at his chest-level once again, forcing her to look up to see his eyes.

“Thank Auri-El, I thought you’d been caught or...killed, or something!”   
  
“And I thought maybe you’d been taken out by Stormcloaks, or gods-forbid your own superior!”

Arkved went to say something, but paused in confusion, “Wait...how did you know I was here?”

Galina merely laughed, shaking her head. “Call it a hunch. Now...release those prisoners and then join me in the cave, yeah? I’ve got something I want to show you.”

He noted the mischievous sparkle in her eye as he let her go, rounding the cart and unlocking the door. By time he’d made sure the prisoners would be able to keep warm, she was already headed towards the cave, unlacing her leather tunic.


End file.
